The Elephant in the Room
by dunuelos
Summary: Jamie and Eddie prove to his father and the rest of them that they aren't being naive about their desire to stay together. 8X22 spoilers.


A/N: Yes. Another fic on the _boring_ fandom of Blue Bloods. Note the sarcasm. I know that many readers find procedural shows boring, and that if there is no magic or spaceships – what's the point? Well – this fic isn't for you.

Many authors write in one genre; many authors write in several. Often, a person writing will take a non de plume (pen name) for genres outside of their "normal" purview. Considering that I make no money on writing and mostly do it for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of those who might find what I write interesting at times, I have eschewed doing so.

So: No magic. No aliens. No demons or chakra. No swords.

I am mostly writing this because something was bothering me about the scene ending the season finale. My specific complaint from the show, only for those who are interested, is that I found the scene written as though the characters were a bit condescending, or maybe naive, which I think was unintentional.

Part of the problem is that I don't know where the writers of the show plan on taking it later. The limitations of television meant that they had to write a scene which lasts only a few minutes which is sufficient to give enough details to satisfy a fanbase rabid for the event to occur (Jamie and Eddie getting together). Also knowing that the show was finishing its eighth season, even though the show tends to not have cliff hangers they probably wanted something sufficiently controversial or merely intriguing to engender sufficient interest in the viewing public to justify the show going on to a ninth season (which the show has been approved for).

I don't know. They'll have their version of how it is handled. Fan fic authors will have their own versions. This is, at least, is a vision of what I see might happen.

PS. Renzulli hasn't actually been seen since Season 6 – I think he left the show. But he was one of my favorites so I am writing him in. So there.

* * *

As soon as the family finished saying grace, they immediately started passing around and serving the food. The nervous giggling and smiles started settling down as the mundane task was taken care of.

Nikki smiled at Eddie as she asked with curiosity, "So. When did you guys get together?"

Jamie hemmed and then said with embarrassment. "Actually? This morning; when I asked her to marry me." Everyone looked at him in shock except Eddie who was nodding in agreement, also embarrassed. They didn't mention that it was around 12:30 "this morning" and they had been "celebrating" for a few hours after.

"How does that work?" Nikki asked incredulously.

Erin and the others were actually quite interested. Eddie looked over at Jamie and said, "It's actually really quite sweet." She looked at Nikki and said, "You know what happened two days ago, right?"

Nikki nodded her head with some emotion. "I heard – Mom called me after she had been told. It sounded really scary."

Jamie nodded. "It was. Trust me." He looked at his niece and then at his new fiancé. "I think Eddie had it harder than me."

Eddie shuddered a little bit. "I was never so scared in my life as Sorento tried to get away. I had no idea if my partner – the man that I knew I was in love with – was ok or was hit but I had to ignore my terror and do my job – I couldn't let him get away."

Jamie grabbed Eddie's hand momentarily to comfort her even as he said quietly, "She kept calling to me even as she ran out to stop him from getting away. Even as I was exiting the car I saw and saw her taking aim. It was amazing actually. No matter how scared she was for what had happened to me, she was steady as a rock." Eddie blushed a little bit as she nodded at the compliment.

Danny had just finished swallowing his first bite. "I heard about that shot: Perfect at 75 feet. Not many cops are that accurate with a pistol. Add the extra stress and it makes it even more amazing." He gave Eddie a nod of appreciation.

Eddie blushed a bit more as she said, "Well, part of that was just going on automatic. Even scared, I knew Jamie would be disappointed in me if I didn't do my job – regardless of circumstances."

Frank, who had been listening, was curious. "What do you mean?"

Eddie shrugged a little. "Well, you know how Jamie gets when he thinks he's right?" There were a few chuckles around the table. "Well, consider that I've been riding with him for over 4 and a half years. Jamie likes talking about doing things the right way." She said in a stage whisper. "He's kind of a boy scout."

Danny chortled. "That's what I call him!"

Jamie muttered good-naturedly, "Here we go."

Eddie smirked at him even as she took a bite and then returned her attention to the rest of the table. "Well, we kind of noticed our building attraction a few years ago."

Everyone at the table stilled at that. Henry asked, " _Years_ ago?" His tone was dubious.

Eddie huffed. "It's not what you think. We didn't do anything about it then."

Jamie nodded and then said casually. "Well, there was that kiss."

Nikki was gleeful. "When was that?"

Eddie and Jamie looked at each other as they thought about it. Jamie asked Eddie, "4 years ago?"

Eddie considered that even as the rest of the room were shocked. "A little over." She looked at the rest of the table and said, "Guys. It was a single kiss. Off duty. We had been hanging out and kind of … connected." She gave Jamie a little smile.

"Yeah." He huffed. "But we talked about it and decided that we were much better off putting it behind us and staying partners." He shrugged. "The attraction was there. But we didn't want to do something which could wreck our dynamic as partners. We both agreed that it was an anomaly and that we wouldn't do anything about it." He paused. "But I would say that it became the elephant in the patrol car at times."

Frank was astounded. "So you've had feelings for each other for over 4 years?" Both nodded at him. "And you've not gotten together before this incident?" Both shook there heads. "Ever?" he asked incredulously.

The two looked at each other with some humor. Jamie said, "We wanted to stay partners. We work better together and are safer with each other than anyone else. Outside of a kiss four years ago and another one about a year and a half ago after which we really double-downed on the denial, we haven't done a thing."

Sean was aghast. "4 years? I can't even imagine! That's such a long time." He shook his head in disbelief.

Jamie said with some amusement, "That's because you're still so young. 4 years is a bit of time – but it's not like it's a third of our lives."

Erin narrowed her eyes at Jamie. "I knew it was more serious when we talked about it 3 ½ years ago."

Eddie's eyes widened and she looked at Jamie. "When was that?"

Jamie smiled a little. "That whole thing when people thought I went overboard on that guy who knocked you down?" Eddie thought about it and then nodded. "Erin talked to me. She said you were just my type."

Eddie looked at Erin who was looking smug. "He was going on about how you were bossy and opinionated and I told him, yeah, just your type. I then brought up his first crush, Theresa Mancini, who was the same way."

Danny chortled. "Oh! I remember her!" He smirked at Jamie. "Yeah. She was a bossy little thing." He looked at Eddie who was looking at Jamie with a gleeful look. "Yeah. Jamie was all into her."

Jamie protested. "That was 20 years ago! Can we not bring this up?"

Erin chortled. "Theresa Mancini. Sydney Davenport. Eddie Janko. All self-confident, bossy and opinionated. All I'm saying is: You've got a type."

Henry laughed even as Frank tried to hide his smile. "She's got you there," Henry said to Jamie.

Jamie huffed good-naturedly. "You too, Grandpa?" Henry grinned at his grandson. Jamie looked at his father. "Are you going to get on the 'tease Jamie' bandwagon too?"

Frank took on his most earnest tone. "No! I'm neutral in all this. Think Switzerland." Jamie peered at him and then nodded, looking back to his plate to cut the next piece of meat. Frank then added, "But Eddie? You _are_ his type." He said this with a small grin.

Jamie looked at his father with mock betrayal. Eddie clucked at Jamie with mock sympathy. "It's okay, Lambchop. I'll protect you from these mean people." Jamie gave an exaggerated look of petulance and then grinned.

She looked at the others and said, "Don't let the boy scout face fool you though: He can hold his own. I may be bossy and I have a good track record of getting my way. But, when he really decides something? He won't even fight about it. That's just the way it is and nothing I can say will change his mind." She glanced at Jamie and said to Frank. "Consider that exam he refuses to take."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Not you too. Besides. I think we'll need to concentrate on getting through probation."

That brought everyone to confusion. Nikki said, "Wait! Hold up. Probation?"

Jamie and Eddie looked at each other and sighed. Jamie glanced around at the confused faces – except Frank who was nodding a bit even as he was looking at his food. "Yeah. Well, not officially. But Dad's point about there being good reasons for involved people to not partner is true." Everyone glanced at Frank who was chewing and looking calmly at the rest. "It's not all that uncommon for people who are dating to have conflicts. And not everyone can keep it professional on the job. Even if there are no rules directly about married partners, there are rules about unacceptable behavior."

Eddie interjected, "It's common sense. There are people who are partners who get involved. And there are times it never comes out – because those people keep it off the job. And when it gets found out? Bosses look the other way if it doesn't put people in danger. Other cops look out for them too. But the moment it's a distraction, it becomes a huge deal – and it should be." She shrugged. "I just think that people shouldn't have to hide it when it happens. I think everyone will be safer if it's known rather than people trying to hide it to follow a rule that isn't even a rule."

Frank and Henry looked at each other, both looking quite thoughtful about it. Henry finally said, "That _is_ something to think about. It has been an issue since women and men started partnering."

Frank looked thoughtful. "Something which really needs to be looked at."

Jamie said, "Well, the ad hoc solution has been to look the other way until it became a problem. And most cops will go along with that. But I really think it's something that should be laid out better in the Patrol Guide. If you just put it in that people can't be partners, the Union will likely protest. There have been lawsuits against departments that have forced the issue. But the way it gets dealt with could breed resentment if some boss just objects just on the basis of there being a relationship."

Frank looked thoughtful and then said, "Maybe it should be put in the Patrol Guide."

Eddie chuckled and said to Jamie, "Maybe you can use all that Harvard education and submit a proposal for wording through the Police Union and then they can negotiate it."

Jamie sighed. "Really, Eddie? You too?" He actually looked annoyed.

Eddie spoke quickly. "No, Lambchop. I'm on your side. I don't think you're wasting your potential." Jamie looked a bit better. "But you spent all that time learning the law, you could at least use it to help other cops, and us as well. Think of it like homework." She leaned over and whispered in his ear. Jamie's face lit up.

Jack, who had been listening, asked, "What did you whisper in his ear?"

Jamie actually blushed as Eddie said with a smirk, "Things that are probably better not said to such young ears."

Nicki's face took on a look. "Ewwww!"

Eddie grinned at her. "Never you mind."

Jamie desperately changed the subject. "Anyway. What's happening with you guys?" he asked his nephews.

Henry and Frank just looked at each other and shook their heads.

As the flow of conversation moved from one subject to another, Frank Reagan considered his youngest son and his new fiancé.

To be honest, he was as shocked as anyone at the unexpected announcement. While he had resolved to table his misgivings until a more appropriate time, the conversation that had occurred had reassured him of one important thing: His son was not being naïve and inconsiderate toward the needs of the department.

Jamie and Eddie, he could see, truly understood the reasons why it normally was "officially" a bad idea. And even he had to admit that there were quite a few instances where partners did become involved and the matter had been practically ignored because, in truth, the relationship did not negatively impact the department.

He knew he would be having several conversations over the next few days on the subject. Garrett, he knew, would have an aneurism. Sid would make a few comments but would mostly watch which way the wind blew. Abby would consider what negative effects might happen on the office of the PC but otherwise ignore it.

He just wondered if Jamie and Eddie could truly withstand the pressure that would come from this.

* * *

After dinner, as everyone was cleaning up, Henry said to Jamie and Eddie, "When we're done, we'll go to the den for a proper celebratory drink." He grinned. "I think I have a bottle of Jameson."

Jamie looked over at Eddie with a resigned but amused look. "They like to tell me how I'm named after the whiskey."

Frank, who had paused in picking up a used serving platter, said, "Well. It _was_ a contributing factor." Anyone could tell that he was hiding his own smile.

Eddie looked shocked and then guffawed. "Really?" she asked.

Jamie looked up at the heavens and said, "Here we go again."

Danny walked back in to pick up a few more items to take to the kitchen. "What are we razzing him about now?"

Despite Jamie immediately trying to stop her from answering, Eddie smirked and said, "Where his name comes from."

Danny's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! Me and Joe got nice biblical names. When he came out, Mom and Dad had to come up with something." Jamie was groaning and holding his head.

Erin, who was also back by then, also had a mildly gleeful look. "We did give him quite a bit of teasing about that when we figured it out."

Eddie laughed and then looked at Jamie in sympathy. She said to the others while she was peering at him, "But it does make sense. He kind if is a smooth, tall glass of whiskey." She said this with kind of a flirtatious tone.

Two things happened immediately: Jamie kind of grinned in response and Nikki, who had also walked in amidst the commentary, groaned and said, "I did _not_ need to hear that!"

The two teenage boys decided to enter into the conversation right about then. Jack said, " _I_ thought it was funny."

Sean immediately agreed. "Yeah. She's kind of a prude."

Nicki gave her cousins a death glare.

Soon, however, the dinner table was all clear and Jamie, Eddie, and Danny were washing and drying. Danny, who was putting things away after Eddie dried, asked, "Why am I doing this again? You were the late one."

Jamie, who was washing, grinned at him. "I think Grandpa is still sore over how often you are 10 minutes late." He looked at Eddie and said, "He always asks Danny how he can consistently be 10 minutes late."

Danny protested. "Hey! I've gotten better."

Jamie considered that. "Actually? You have a point." He shrugged as he handed the next dish to Eddie to dry. "Maybe he considers it a bonding experience – you with your future sister-in-law."

Danny smiled at Eddie and said, "Eddie's already okay in my book." He said directly to her. "I want to personally thank you for keeping my brother safe. He's far to cavalier about his own safety for comfort."

Eddie shrugged and said, "Hey, he's important to me too. But you are welcome." She looked at Jamie and said, "Although he kind of does have a point. No more hospital trips."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad."

Danny paused as he put one of the plates away. "Actually?" He turned and looked at Eddie. "Since he partnered with you, his rate of injury _has_ dropped."

Eddie replied, "Just keeping an eye on my partners back."

Danny nodded. In that moment, all of his internal objections to Jamie and Eddie staying partners dropped away. He'd much rather have Eddie watching his back than anyone else. "Still." He then grinned. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall when you tell Renzulli."

Jamie and Eddie then paused and looked at each other for a long moment. Eddie shrugged. After another moment, Jamie nodded at her.

Danny, watching this, was both awed and annoyed. "Oh my god! It's like you two are _already_ friggin married! You have the whole silent conversation thing already down."

Jamie looked at Danny and smiled. "Well, for us it just works." Eddie, grinning widely at Danny, nodded in agreement.

Danny could only chuckle and shake his head.

When they were done they started walking out of the kitchen toward the den. Eddie grabbed Jamie's phone from his pocket and handed it to Jamie, who nodded. Danny, walking behind him, just shook his head again.

Jamie opened up his list of contacts and rolled through to the correct one. He hit the call button.

"Sarge! How are you doing?" "No. We're fine. Still on mandated leave, but doing pretty well." "No. You have a few minutes? Need to talk to you about something." "10 minutes?" "Okay. I'll call back then. Talk to you in a few minutes." "Bye."

Jamie looked at Eddie and said, "He's on his way home. He'll be free to talk in 10 minutes. I figure we can put him on speaker phone in the den." Jamie glanced at Danny and smirked. "Danny can at least _hear_ Renzulli's response."

* * *

Sergeant Anthony "Tony" Renzulli was curious as to what Reagan needed to talk to him about; especially what he needed to talk about off the job. If he was honest with himself, he did have suspicions.

He had seen the aftermath of Janko saving Reagan's life. Janko had been almost catatonic with worry and relief. Reagan, who was the one shot at, was a lot more calm about it. But he did know that something would likely pop. That kettle had been boiling too long.

Still, he was willing to wait until he was actually told.

Tony had moved to a different shift due to personal issues. But Marie's sister had finally recovered from her bought of breast cancer and she no longer needed him to be on a schedule which allowed him to help as needed. He had worked out switching back with the current boss.

Tony smiled. He had missed having Reagan and Janko working for him. He then stopped smiling. The shooting incident had been scary. He hadn't missed their tendency to run into trouble.

Tony got home and made his way inside. Marie was with her sister, but had left his dinner ready to be reheated. He looked inside the Tupperware container and sighed. His wife's cooking was not why he had married her and this was a reminder of that.

Regardless, he put the tray into the oven to warm a bit and sat down at the table to wait for the call he was told was coming.

When it came, he put it the phone to his ear. "Renzulli."

" _Sarge. You have a few minutes now_?"

Renzulli nodded even though no one could actually see him. "Yeah. I've got a few minutes for you."

" _Okay, good. Do you mind if I put you on speaker? I've got Eddie with me too, as well as a couple of other people_."

"Okay. Go ahead."

The sound on the other end changed and he heard Jamie's voice. " _Can you hear me_?" He then heard Janko's voice. " _And me_?"

Tony smiled to himself. He thought he knew what was coming. "Yeah. I can hear you both. Now what is this all about?"

" _You know what happened on Friday of course_."

"Yeah. I know."

" _Well, the whole thing was kind of a wakeup call. It finally kicked it over the edge as to how much we meant to each other." He heard Eddie's voice say, "What he's trying to skirt around is that we got our heads out of our asses and admitted we loved each other_." Tony could see in his mind's eye Reagan rolling his eyes at Janko and Janko smirking at Reagan in response.

Tony was feeling both irritation and satisfaction. "So you two knuckleheads finally admitted it?"

Eddie's voice said, " _Yes, Sarge. We finally admitted it_."

"Well, I can't say as I didn't see this coming. You two have always been a bit closer than most partners, even if you mostly kept it professional."

Jamie's voice spoke up. " _It was that one time and I still maintain I was only protecting my partner."_

"Yeah, yeah."

He heard Eddie's voice. " _That incident we talked about earlier? The one where that guy knocked me down._ "

Jamie's voice replied, " _Yeah. Sarge had a me into his office about that._ "

" _What happened?_ "

" _Well, Sarge pulled me into his office and asked if I was getting too involved and warned me that if there was another incident like it, he'd separate us and send us to different houses_."

Tony was surprised. "You never told her until today?"

" _I didn't want to upset our partnership_."

Eddie's voice spoke up. " _It would have been nice to know_." Eddie's voice showed amusement.

" _Sorry, Lambchop_."

" _Well, we'll consider that on the Jamie owes Eddie side of the ledger_."

" _Damn. At this rate, I'll never catch up_."

" _As it should be_!" Janko said with amusement. " _The way this works is_ …"

Tony could see them starting their "banter phase" – and that always went on for a while. So he interrupted. "You two can flirt with each other after we finish this. Anyway. So you two are together now?"

" _Actually, Sarge. I asked her to marry me. She said yes_."

Janko interjected, " _We figure we've been dating for four years without the actually dating. There's no one who knows either of us better than each other_."

"Married?" Tony was shocked. "I have to admit, I thought that would be coming. But I expected to see dating first."

" _Well, we're just awesome like that_ ," Eddie piped in.

"You know I'm going to have to separate you guys? Department guidelines and all."

" _Actually_ ," Jamie responded, " _after I asked her, we looked that up to see what the rules were. And to our surprise, there's nothing in the Patrol Guide about married partners being forbidden. It's not even mentioned._ "

"Nothing?" Tony asked with some incredulity.

" _Absolutely nothing. The only thing that we could find were guidelines on sexual harassment, and that has nothing to do with us. So we talked about it, and we're going to be asking to stay together._ "

"Are you two out of your mind? Do you know how much trouble that's going to cause?" Tony asked.

 _"Yes." "Yep."_

Tony considered it for a long moment. "I don't know. Does the Commissioner know about this?"

" _We told my_ father _today. As a father, he's quite happy that I'm happy, though he expressed his own misgivings based on his 40 years experience with the department. Though I do believe he's happy with how well Eddie watches my back. As Commissioner, he hasn't been notified as to the request. We're going to have to report it to you, and you're going to have to send it up the Chain of Command. Which is kind of why we're talking to you today_."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked curiously.

" _Well. We're arguing the rules. And this is really more than just two people wanting to stay partners. So we're going to have to bring our Union Delegates with us to make certain our rights are protected. But that being said, you're still going to have to report it and likely ask IA to investigate to make certain that there's been nothing done which might harm the department or put police officers at risk_."

"Wait. You're asking that IA get involved?" Tony asked.

" _Not really. But you're a boss. You might be looking out for your guys, but you have a responsibility to the department too. We understand that. You've always done right by us, which is why we wanted to make sure you weren't blindsided when we show up with Union representation. But that doesn't mean you can ignore what has long been considered a violation even if it isn't. I figure the brass can argue it out, with the Police Union keeping an eye out to make sure we aren't screwed over. That should give you some cover so that no matter what, nothing ends up on you."_

Tony considered that. "Yeah. I'm going to have to look through the Patrol Guide too. I do appreciate the heads up – good looking out. I'll make a decision based on what I can find by reading the Departmental guidelines. I might have to put you guys on modified or temporarily split you up until it's resolved. But I figure you guys have been professional for years regardless, so if I can justify not making a move, I'll do it. Just don't screw up. Or it will be all our asses."

 _"Got it, Sarge." "10-4, Sarge."_

"Anyway. With all that out of the way: Congratulations. I hope you guys have a long and happy marriage. I think you two are good for each other. And Jamie?"

" _Yeah, Sarge_?"

"Since all she's really got is the department, I have to be the father or older brother and say: If you hurt her, I'll have to come after you. So please don't do that."

" _Got it, Sarge_." Jamie's voice showed his amusement. " _Besides. If I screw up, she's more than up to kicking my ass._ "

" _You got that right, Lambchop_ ," Eddie's voice spoke. " _And thanks for being there for us, Sarge._ "

"You got it. See you guys when you come. You can go back to your weird flirting rituals now."

There were several laughs in the background. " _See ya, Sarge_ ," Jamie said and then hung up.

Tony shook his head. Those two were a piece of work. But he really hoped it worked out for them.

Suddenly, he had an "Aha" moment. At the end when there were several laughs, there was one chuckle which he now realized was actually the Commissioner.

Tony reflected that he might just ending up having to kill his old boot for doing that to him.

* * *

Frank looked at his son and nodded. More and more he was convinced that Jamie and Eddie weren't walking into this with blinders on; which was an enormous relief to him.

He didn't know how it would eventually sort out, but he was convinced that the two were ready for what might come. And with that, he could relax about it and learn to enjoy having another daughter again.


End file.
